Various embodiments of a power steering system hydraulic pump are disclosed herein. In particular, the embodiments described herein relate to an improved power steering system hydraulic pump having a pump component, which is to be sealed, and a first pump cover.
Such pumps are generally part of a motor/pump unit for power steering systems of motor vehicles. DE 203 02 535 U, and corresponding U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0051230 A1, both of which are incorporated by reference herein, shows a generic hydraulic pump for a power steering system which can be inserted as a prefabricated unit into a motor/pump unit. The pump here comprises a housing which is closed at its end faces by a respective pump cover. The two covers are braced against each other by at least one holding piece, whereby it is possible to assemble the pump at a favorable cost and without effort.
The sealing between the pump covers and the housing on the one hand and between the pump covers and the installation pieces of the housing (e.g. the bearing rests) on the other hand takes place in DE 203 02 535 U by sealing rings, as usual. The sealing rings may be circular, oval or heart-shaped here, and may have a round or rectangular cross-section. Irrespective of their shape or their cross-section, all the mentioned sealing rings abut substantially linearly at the components which are to be sealed. As these are generally elastomer seals, a precisely worked groove must be present in one of the components abutting at the seal. In addition, there is effort involved in processing the surface of the groove in order to ensure the desired sealing effect.